Thames Water nationalisation vowed by Greens before Christmas

Sewage, Sussex taps and a 35-year wait for reservoirs

Rachel Millward has announced plans for Thames Water nationalisation before Christmas, well ahead of the government's own decade-long timetable.

Both Thames Water and South East Water would pass into public ownership without any compensation for shareholders or creditors.

Millward said the companies are insolvent and should not expect a payout, arguing water bills deserve the same scrutiny.

The announcement comes as UK households face a wider squeeze on bills.

One council has already confirmed a plan to hike council tax by 94%, while separate advice has weighed up whether it's cheaper to leave the heater on low all day.

Why Thames Water nationalisation is being demanded now

Millward drew a sharp contrast with the government's approach at a Guardian liveblog of the conference.

She said that "Burnham's 10 year plan of gentle threats and vague notions of control is not enough.

"Too many of our water companies have already failed."

She added that the takeover would happen "immediately, not in 10 years, but before Christmas," with South East Water and Thames Water brought "back into public ownership at no cost to the tax payer."

Shareholders and creditors, she said, should expect nothing because "these are insolvent companies."

Millward pointed to Sussex, where she said residents "too often find ourselves driving to pick up bottled water because nothing is coming out of our taps."

She also mentions that privatisation has not delivered a single new reservoir in 35 years.

Earlier in her speech she had linked the policy to river pollution, telling the conference: "We see the sewage being pumped into our river by private profit making companies.

"And we see just how far wrong we've gone."